​Anthony Davis reacted during an NBA game back when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Getty images accompany a report about the Philadelphia 76ers president revealing that Joel Embiid isn’t scheduled for any offseason surgeries. Getty also accompanies coverage noting that the Golden State Warriors remain in the mix for LeBron James, though they believe they must acquire Anthony Davis via a trade to land James. There may be another route the Warriors could pursue to attract an elite big man who would be enticing to James.
During a segment on Wednesday, July 8, Joe DeCamara of 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia joined the Willard & Dibs Show on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area and suggested a blockbuster hypothetical trade: swapping Jimmy Butler for Joel Embiid straight up between the Warriors and the 76ers. DeCamara insisted it “absolutely could be in play” and that it would be a deal that makes sense for both sides. He explained that the Sixers might want to move on from Embiid, and that trading him to Golden State for Jimmy Butler could work for the franchise.
Of course, DeCamara did not ignore the obvious caveat: Embiid’s health and his ability to stay on the court, especially in the playoffs, have been concerns for several seasons. The “rub” is that Embiid has three years left on his contract, while Butler has one year remaining, which raises questions about how the Warriors would approach such a swap. Would they want an extraordinary, all-world talent like Embiid to pair with LeBron James and attempt a full-blown chase for a title, or would they prefer continuing with a core that includes Steph Curry and Embiid as a two-pronged threat without LeBron in the mix? The scenario would force the Warriors to weigh their long-term window against the present opportunity to contend.
From a salary perspective, Butler’s 2026-27 salary is just over $56.8 million, while Embiid’s would be just under $58 million, meaning the money would align under current league rules for a potential trade. The real appeal for Golden State in pursuing Embiid over Davis is that Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN have both indicated that the Warriors would likely need to include premium draft capital to pry Davis away from the Washington Wizards, possibly including all of Golden State’s tradable first-round picks. In contrast, a deal centered on Embiid could allow the Warriors to leverage the final three years of Embiid’s contract to entice Philadelphia to part with him, even if his MVP season in 2022-23 underscored his value and potential.
Yet there is a clear downside to a prospective Embiid-to-Warriors move: Embiid has failed to play 40 or more games in each of the past three regular seasons, with 39, 19, and 38 appearances. That recurring durability issue complicates any assessment of how effective Embiid would be if he joined a team already carrying significant injury risk. While Embiid’s career averages—roughly 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game—demonstrate his immense talent, the question remains whether he can consistently stay on the floor and contribute at an elite level for a sustained playoff push.
In sum, the hypothetical Embiid-for-Butler swap between Golden State and Philadelphia represents a discussion about balancing health, contract length, and championship timing. It raises fundamental questions about whether the Warriors should pursue a high-ceiling, potentially fragile center in Embiid or a somewhat younger, steadier veteran in Davis, and how such a decision would interact with LeBron James’s future plans. The broader context remains this: the Warriors are evaluating all routes to maximize their championship odds, and any deal would need to reconcile the desire for immediate impact with the realities of long-term health, cost, and draft capital.